trouble with carrying liquids from Toronto to the US

[scanditaly]

Hello;

 

a friend just showed up and spoke of his experience having a bottle of liquor taken (confiscated) from him.

 

As far as I know, he purchased it in Denmark, and was routing through Toronto, Canada on the way to the US.

 

Anyone know anything about this??

 

would appreciate any light on this subject

[HRH SR]

Here is CATSA website

 

http://www.catsa-acsta.gc.ca/Page.aspx?ID=26&pname=TravellerFAQs_FAQVoyageurs&lang=en&sid=5&sname=Alcohol-and-Duty-Free_Alcool-et-autres-articles-hors-taxes

[Zach1213]

Was it taken by Customs or security? Makes a big difference as to why it was taken.

[njhorseman]

Was the seized liquor being carried on to the flight, as opposed to being in checked baggage?

 

I'm not 100% sure of this, but I suspect the flight is technically considered a US domestic flight and must follow US TSA rules for carry on liquids because you pre clear US customs and immigration in Toronto prior to entering the departure area. Those rules prohibit liquids in containers of more than 3.4 ounces (100 ml).

[ducklite]

Had he already opened it?

 

As with what has already been posted, there's no way to answer your question based on the very limited info you've offered.

[Zach1213]

Was the seized liquor being carried on to the flight, as opposed to being in checked baggage?

 

I'm not 100% sure of this, but I suspect the flight is technically considered a US domestic flight and must follow US TSA rules for carry on liquids because you pre clear US customs and immigration in Toronto prior to entering the departure area. Those rules prohibit liquids in containers of more than 3.4 ounces (100 ml).

 

The 100mL rule is pretty much global (a least the developed and developing world) and not unique to US TSA. That is part of the reason why it's based on metric.

[OVgirl]

Once arriving in Canada, he should have packed it in his checked luggage before handing it back through security. When you purchase duty free alcohol at an airport you can carry it onboard, but once you land, go through immigration, retrieve your luggage and check it again, you cannot carry on more than the TSA allotment.

[njhorseman]

The 100mL rule is pretty much global (a least the developed and developing world) and not unique to US TSA. That is part of the reason why it's based on metric.

 

Yes, but in many countries you can buy liquor in a duty free shop after you clear security and carry it on board as long as it is packaged in approved manner. You can't do that for a US domestic flight.

 

If you're arriving in a US airport from a foreign destination with carry on liquor purchased in an air side duty free shop and are connecting to a US domestic flight you have to pack your liquor into a checked bag after you arrive on your international flight at your first US airport. You can't just continue to carry it on your domestic flight. If you don't do that, your liquor will be seized by TSA when you bring it to the security checkpoint.

 

With the preclearance program from Canada (and a couple of other places...Ireland...Bermuda...Bahamas...Aruba) you arrive in the US as if you were on a US domestic flight. Your bags can be checked through to your final destination from your originating foreign airport and you can board a connecting flight without clearing security again as long as you stay air side.

[TJW]

One other situation would be having to change terminals in Toronto and having to go through security again at the new terminal for a flight into the US.

[njhorseman]

One other situation would be having to change terminals in Toronto and having to go through security again at the new terminal for a flight into the US.

 

Even if you don't have to change terminals, passengers bound for the US still have to go through both customs/immigration processing and security screening.

[Talisker92]

When we flew from Rio to Los Angeles, we had to change planes in Miami. Since it is the first US stop or Airport of Entry, we had to clear Customs and Immigration. I bought some liquor at the Rio Airport Duty Free shop, and realized it would be confiscated. I had to pack them in my suitcase and then recheck the bag for the flight from Miami to LA.

There is another problem with coming into the US. We bought some liquor in DC and it was put in a special sealed bag. When we changed planes in Frankfurt, we had to go through European security, and it was no problem. However, TSA does NOT recognize these sealed bags because they are over the 100ml limit.

The thing that gripes me is the arbitrariness with which the rules are enforced. My wife had a 4 oz bottle of saline for her contacts. She took them through security in LA, Heathrow and Paris. When we changed planes in Heathrow on the way home, they would not let her take it. She poured some into her contact holder, and they still would not let her have it.

The same stupid thing happened on another trip with a 4 ounce bottle of cough syrup. They gave a grief about it, so she took the cup, poured some in the cup and drank it. They still would not let her have it!

[scanditaly]

your answers and experiences really helped.

 

yes, it was confiscated by TSA, not customs.

 

I do have a brief memory of having to clear customs and immigration on our entry into the US and having possession of our bags for the short time it took to retrieve them from one side of the (room) area, and drop them off on the other side. I suppose that would be the time to place any items in the luggage.

 

again, thanks for all your responses

[Zach1213]

When we flew from Rio to Los Angeles, we had to change planes in Miami. Since it is the first US stop or Airport of Entry, we had to clear Customs and Immigration. I bought some liquor at the Rio Airport Duty Free shop, and realized it would be confiscated. I had to pack them in my suitcase and then recheck the bag for the flight from Miami to LA.

There is another problem with coming into the US. We bought some liquor in DC and it was put in a special sealed bag. When we changed planes in Frankfurt, we had to go through European security, and it was no problem. However, TSA does NOT recognize these sealed bags because they are over the 100ml limit.

The thing that gripes me is the arbitrariness with which the rules are enforced. My wife had a 4 oz bottle of saline for her contacts. She took them through security in LA, Heathrow and Paris. When we changed planes in Heathrow on the way home, they would not let her take it. She poured some into her contact holder, and they still would not let her have it.

The same stupid thing happened on another trip with a 4 ounce bottle of cough syrup. They gave a grief about it, so she took the cup, poured some in the cup and drank it. They still would not let her have it!

 

The rules are fairly clear that it's based on the size of the container, not how full it may or may not be. If its a 200mL container that isn't full, it's a bit hard to tell how much is really in it and if it breaks the 100mL rule

[Globaliser]

The thing that gripes me is the arbitrariness with which the rules are enforced. My wife had a 4 oz bottle of saline for her contacts. She took them through security in LA, Heathrow and Paris. When we changed planes in Heathrow on the way home, they would not let her take it.

It's not arbitrariness in enforcement. It's simply that if one security screener slips up and lets you take something that should have been confiscated, you can't complain if the next security screener actually notices the infringement and enforces the rule. It's made absolutely clear by the TSA that a 4 fl oz bottle is not permitted through security in LA, and your wife should have been under no illusions about that.

[ducklite]

A four ounce bottle of contact solution would be allowed under TSA rules as a medical need.

 

The problem was with security in another country--which have their own rules and guidelines and can enforce more stringent requirements than the TSA for flights entering US airspace.

[Philob]

The problem was with security in another country--which have their own rules and guidelines and can enforce more stringent requirements than the TSA for flights entering US airspace.

 

We purchased a couple bottles of water AFTER security while waiting for our US bound flight. The bottles were confiscated at the security checkpoint they set up on the jetway, right in front of the plane's door:p

[kenish]

There is another current thread about liquid meds with a doctor's note being "crammed" into the 1qt / liter bag at Heathrow. A quick read of UK liquid restrictions say that the amount in carry-on is limited to what is needed for the flight. The poster was lucky they didn't make them discard all but 1 or 2 doses. Although the liquid restrictions are pretty uniform globally, there are variations and the devil's in those details.